Thune accuses Democratic Alliance leaders of ‘fearing their own shadows’ as the DHS battle rages on

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., is not optimistic that top Democrats in Congress want to fix Homeland Security funding as Congress prepares for intense negotiations in the coming days.

With the four-day partial government shutdown now over, Democrats and Republicans are preparing to oppose the controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bill, which has threatened to completely end the previous bipartisan funding agreement.

And with nine days on the clock to find a way forward, Thune doesn’t believe House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are ready to reach a bipartisan deal on the bill.

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When asked if he viewed Jeffries, who reneged on Schumer’s funding deal with President Donald Trump, as a reliable partner in future plans, Thune said, “He’s just not.”

“He and, therefore, Leader Schumer, are both afraid of their own shadows, and they’re getting a lot of pushback and pressure from the left,” Thune said. “So, I don’t think they want – especially to come in [Jeffries’] case, I don’t think you want to make a deal.”

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., arrives for a news conference after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Feb. 3, 2026, Washington. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo)

Schumer said Tuesday that Democrats would have a proposal ready for Republicans to review by the same day, but Thune noted that no such list has been provided by his side of the aisle.

There could be further talk among top Democratic leaders, too, after Jeffries turned his back on the Trump-Schumer financial deal. However, the two met on Tuesday night, and Schumer confirmed that they are on the same page.

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President Donald Trump during the signing of a bill to end the partial government shutdown in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Feb. 3, 2026. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, DHS is currently operating under a two-week continuing resolution (CR) that maintains previous funding levels until Congress enacts legislation to fully fund it. But Thune and other Republicans believe the reduced timeline is not long enough to speed up a deal.

And it’s an open question whether Congress will need to temporarily extend the funding package again, or allow the agency to shut down.

A growing frustration among Republicans is that the original DHS bill was the product of bipartisan negotiations and included several monitoring and reporting requirements directed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that could limit or block funding if not met.

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“I think they want to sue, the issue is political,” said Thune. “Whether there is a solution remains to be seen, but at least what they are saying publicly suggests that is not their intention.”